Papers in PDF format

on our server. Responses in the database are subsequently tagged with feedback that is sent back to the
browser for students to print out.
The second function of SMART WWWeb is to collect, organize and display the data collected from
the distributed classrooms. Data displays are automatically up-dated as new data are submitted to the database
by students. We call this section, SMART Lab. The data in SMART Lab consist of students’ answers to
problems and explanations for their answers. Each class' data are displayed separately from the distributed
classroom's data. This feature enables the teacher and her/his class to discuss different solution strategies, and
in the process, address important concepts and misconceptions. These discussions provide a rich source of
information for the teacher on how her/his students are thinking about a problem, and are designed to
stimulate student reflection as well.
The third section of SMART WWWeb is Kids Online. Kids Online consists of explanations by
student-actors. The explanations are text-based with audio narration. Still pictures of the presenters are also
available. The explanations are errorful by design. Students are asked to critically evaluate the explanations,
and provide feedback to the student-actor. By including errors we are able to seed thinking and discussion on
concepts that are frequently misconceived by students. At the same time, students learn important critical
evaluation skills.
AN EXAMPLE FROM SCIENCE
Our current work on SMART is focused around a video anchor on CD-ROM entitled, “Stones River
Mystery” (hereafter SRM). SRM is an episode in the series "Scientists in Action" developed by Bob Sherwood
and his colleagues at Vanderbilt [Sherwood, Petrosino, Lin, Lamon, & Cognition and Technology Group at
Vanderbilt 1995]. SRM tells the story of a group of high school students who, in collaboration with a biologist
and hydrologist, are monitoring the water in Stones River. The video shows the team visiting the river and
conducting various water quality tests. (In our work we focus on benthic macroinvertebrate sampling and
dissolved oxygen testing.) Students in the classroom are asked to assess the water quality at a second site on
the river. They are challenged to select tools that they can use to sample macroinvertebrates and test dissolved
oxygen, to conduct these tests, and to interpret the data relative to previous data from the same site.
When students begin working on macroinvertebrates, they are given a catalog of sampling
tools/instruments. Many of these are "bogus" and collect the wrong kind of sample; others are “legitimate” and
will gather a representative sample of macroinvertebrates. The catalog items are specially designed to include
contasting cases that help students discover the need to know certain kinds of information. For example, to use
macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality, one needs to collect a sample that represents the river’s
biodiversity, and as such, all types present need to be sampled. The following is the actual description of one
of the items in the catalog, the TetraBen Laser Counter:
"Knowing the number of macroinvertebrates in your water is an important way to
determine the health of your river. Collecting and counting these organisms can be a
slow, tedious process. Modern science has revolutionized this process. The TetraBen
Laser Counter lets you count macroinvertebrates without getting your hands wet!
Simply scan the laser beam slowly over the water. The laser beam automatically
counts the macroinvertebrates, and shows the total number on a built-in screen. The
laser is completely waterproof and won't harm anything, living or non-living (and
that includes macroinvertebrates and humans!) Simple, safe, and completely
accurate!"
This is an example of an item that would collect the wrong kind of information; it counts the
macroinvertebrates and ignores information about the types of macroinvertebrates in the sample.
Students are asked to choose and justify their choice of tool. To help them make their choices, they are
provided with resources, some of which are on-line, that they can use to find out about river ecosystems,
macroinvertebrates, and water quality monitoring. Once students have made an initial set of choices, they use
SMART WWWeb. They enter their catalog choices (yes or no), and select justifications for their choices (why
or why not choose that catalog tool). Figure 1. shows a portion of the internet "order form."